Boeing’s Starliner Finally Docks to the International Space Station! Eight Years in the Making?

Boeing's Starliner docked at the International Space Station (ISS) for the first time. It comes after facing delays with its first unsuccessful attempt in 2018 and its launch postponement last year due to a couple of critical issues.

In spite of the challenges that the Boeing CST-100 Starliner had to grapple with before successfully launching to the ISS, the folks behind it persistently tried to make it a reality.

Boeing's Starliner International Space Station Launch

As per a news story by ZDNet, the successful launch of the Starliner was for its uncrewed flight test under the commercial crew program of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration or NASA.

The Starliner launched on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from the facilities of NASA in Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Before the Starliner made it to the ISS, Boeing performed a couple of tests to ensure that it was ready to fly to the Space Station without any hiccups.

The Starliner undergoes some systems demonstrations to prove that the spacecraft is "healthy" enough to launch to the ISS. It also further indicates that the CST-100 is ready to fly safely.

The senior vice president (SVP) of Boeing Space and Launch, Jim Chilton, said that the Starliner passed these tests before it launched.

The Boeing Space and Launch SVP stated that the "Starliner has proven safe, autonomous rendezvous, and docking capability."

Boeing's Starliner First Successful Unmanned Launch

That said, the Starliner got the green light to launch to space, carrying roughly 500 points of cargo from both NASA and the suppliers of the crew in the ISS. It also delivered over 300 pounds of Boeing haul to the orbiting space station.

However, it is worth noting that the latest successful flight of Boeing Starliner to the ISS only carries cargo items.

It has yet to bring passengers to space. But once it gets the green light, the CST-100 spacecraft could fit up to four crew members in total.

According to a recent report by The Verge, the successful flight of the Starliner showed us that it could potentially transport humans to the space station in the near future.

Boeing's Starliner on ISS: 8 Years in the Making

The Starliner has finally docked to the ISS, eight years after Boeing and NASA first partnered for the commercial crew program of the latter.

It is to note that the Starliner first attempted to fly to the ISS last Dec. 2019, but software glitches forced it to retreat back to Earth.

In 2021, it was supposed to launch once again for the second time. However, a valve system issue pushed it to 2022.

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Written by Teejay Boris